Patients who undergo complex cancer surgery at hospitals affiliated with top-ranked cancer centers have a significantly higher risk for mortality than patients who undergo such surgeries at the flagship institutions, writes HemOnc Today. According to research published in JAMA Network Open, the results showed that in 49 networks studied, 83.7% of top-ranked hospitals outperformed their affiliates in terms of safety.

The researchers used CMS data to examine 90-day mortality rates among 29,228 Medicare recipients who underwent complex cancer surgery at 59 hospitals ranked among the top 50 best for cancer by U.S. News and World Report between 2013 and 2016, and 343 affiliated hospitals. The study included patients aged 65 years or older who had nonemergency surgery for primary colon, lung, pancreatic, stomach or esophageal cancer between Jan. 1, 2013, and Oct. 1, 2016.